Customer Reviews

An Essential Collection

by
ocbee

Most music fans know that the Stax-Volt labels was one of the foundations of 1960's soul music, whose influence can still be seen today. This is clearly not a box set for the casual fan, as it incorporates all of the 45s released from 1959 until its distribution agreement with Atlantic Records was terminated in 1968. Most of what is associated with Stax-Volt is included here: Albert King, The Bar-Kays, Carla and Rufus Thomas, Eddie Floyd, Johnnie Taylor, Sam & Dave, and of course, Booker T & The MG's, the label's de facto house band, and most importantly, Otis Redding. While most of the hits are available in many other places, this would be clearly be the most comprehensive collection of this essential music. One piece of advise: If you choose to buy the entire collection, you may wish to buy a hard copy for the essays and history, which is not included in the iTunes edition.

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by
zzboston

This is not anybody's "greatest hits" collection. Although some artists deserve a better representation than they get here, STAX does maintain its focus on the singles it released. This is like a dictionary. I've had this set long before the stated release date of Feb 27, 2007 and do refer to it often. That's it's strength. If you are looking for an entertaining album, this is not quite it. AND it is an expensive way to end up with a bunch of "records" that didn't have a lot of appeal the first time around. STAX was tops in representing its genre, but like all record labels, was guilty of throwing stuff out there to see what would stick.

Let's Correct the Previous Review

by
MJ1964

This is the complete singles releases between 1959 & 1968. Right? The Staple Singers didn't get to Stax/Volt until 1970. That's why they are not included. So let's not give a bad review because of ignorance.